This was the only hit from Warren Zevon throughout the world, although it remains one of the most popular songs on oldies stations to this day likely due to someone mashing this up with "Sweet home Alabama" in the late 00's and scoring a massive hit with this mashup (I forget who that might be.) Indeed, this songs melody has been used in several different ways over the years to varying degrees of success.
#89 for 1978
This was the final hit that Skyhooks managed to achieve in Australia this decade, although it wouldn't be the final time they trouble the charts as they would return twelve years later with "Jukebox in Siberia" for their brief reunion tour in 1990. This is a song about the band's love for women in uniform, making this a female empowerment anthem given how more women were finding jobs in the workplace.
#90 for 1978
This was the debut single for a band who named themselves after the dog from the Wizard of Oz, it was an impressive first impression given how it was a massive worldwide hit as well as making the album it came from a huge success for the band. They were in danger of being a one hit wonder here until their fourth album took home album of the year at the Grammies which made it a huge hit for them.
#87 for 1979
This was the third and final single to come from ELO's breakthrough album, it's also the song which made them big both in NZ and America as it remains their biggest hit in both countries. I can see why as it's a more subdue ballad about a long-distance relationship, it's a much more conventional song in their catalogue compared to the rock opera from the rest of the album.
#86 for 1977
Well, his band members Beeb Birtles and Graham Goble were able to score a huge hit this year with their duet from earlier on this list, so it seems fitting that lead singer of the Little river band Glenn Shorrock would score his own solo hit this year with this cover of the Bobby Darin classic from twenty years prior. It would be his final hit both solo and with the band until he rejoined them nine years later.
#88 for 1979
This was one of the last hit singles that the king of rock and roll had in his lifetime worldwide, it was made during his Vegas years which wasn't having a positive aspect towards his mental and physical health due to all of the controversies he was finding himself in. At least the public hadn't forgotten about him given how he kept finding hits all the way up to his untimely death.
#80 for 1975
This was the final hit that the husband-and-wife duo managed to achieve in the 70's outside their native America, although they would return in 1980 to score one more hit with "Do that to me one more time" before their popularity faded away for good even on the Billboard charts. This was originally recorded by Neil Sedaka but became a hit for them likely due to them being more popular at the time.
#88 for 1976
To think that this advertisement for the Hard rock cafe (which opened its doors in the UK in 1971) was one of only two hits that Carole King managed to score here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies loved the restaurant chain that much (I still go whenever I can afford it to this day.) I get the feeling this killed her creditability in the music scene given how she broke through with the masterpiece Tapestry around the same time the food chain opened.
#87 for 1977
It looked like the Bee gees would be yesterday's news when their previous album flopped on the charts worldwide, however their fortunes changed when they decided to hop on the disco bandwagon early on in its popularity which single handedly revived their career worldwide as this topped the Billboard charts for them. For some reason, I always thought this was a Fleetwood mac single, possibly due to it lacking their trademark falsetto's which they would develop throughout the second half of the decade.
#81 for 1975
This was one of the last hit singles that Marcia Hines was able to achieve in Australia back in the day, although curiously it remains her only hit in NZ despite it being far from her biggest hit over here. Here she proclaims that something is missing in her life, that something of course being the love of her life she's trying to win over on this track.
#89 for 1979
If this vocalist sounds familiar to you, you likely recognise her for her performance throughout Meat loaf's Bat out of hell album where she is most prominently featured on the title track of the album. Here she scores a hit of her own due to her involvement with the album as well as performing it on Countdown during the start of the decade, although this would sadly be the last we hear from her.
#87 for 1980
Well, here's that big hit that Nick Lowe scored this year that I mentioned earlier on this list, it's interesting that both of these men appeared on Countdown this year performing their two big hits in Australia and yet the band they were a part of were a no show. I guess this is why they both found success with their solo tracks while the band remained in obscurity down under.
#90 for 1979
This was the first big hit that Air supply had internationally, I'm not sure how that happened except perhaps due to this being much bigger over in NZ this year as this was far from their biggest hit here in Australia in their catalogue. Whatever the reason was, this made them a household name the following year in America and set the band up for great success throughout the early 80's.
#91 for 1979
It looks like Maxine Nightingale was able to score a second hit here in Australia, although it hasn't been as well remembered as her earlier entry which is perhaps why people tend to think she's a one hit wonder to this day. She would score a second hit in NZ as well, although that would've come until the end of the decade.
#89 for 1976
This was the only hit that Van McCoy was able to achieve in his lifetime in most parts of the world, although the Brits did give him a second hit later in the decade with "The shuffle" which is a less conventional disco record due to it being in a 6/4-time signature as opposed to the more conventional 4/4-time signature like this and many other dance tracks are. Sadly, Van would die of a drug overdose by the end of the decade.
#82 for 1975
This was the last song that Ted Mulry gang released before they stylised themselves as T.M.G, I'm guessing because they wanted to be taken more seriously going forward in the decade given how their biggest hit was a joke song about picking up a girl walking down the street.
#90 for 1976
This was the only hit single that Bob Marley was able to achieve in his lifetime in Australia, hey at least it's one more hit he had here than over in America where he never even charted even posthumously. He had much better success in NZ and the UK over the years, likely because they were able to get on board with his reggae beats regardless of if they were attached to lovestruck ballads such as this or politically charged protests.
#91 for 1978
This was the only hit to come from Jeff St John, likely due to it being the lead single to his only album as he curiously called it quits when the album didn't become a massive success this year. I'm guessing he was dropped from his label even though he had at least one big hit to his name, there were a ton of Australian bands and artists who had a longer career despite not even having this level of success.
#88 for 1977
Before he became the face of new wave with his solo hit "Cars," Gary Numan was the lead singer of this short-lived new wave band Tubeway army who scored a massive hit in their native UK with this track about wondering who the real friends are of the narrator of these lyrics. Its legacy has since been overshadowed by "Cars" over the years, however it still remains a pioneer of early 80's music to this day.
#92 for 1979
To answer your first question, no this isn’t the theme song to the 80's cartoon adaptation of the Belgian comics, this is instead a theme song for a cancelled film adaptation of said comics that never came to be but was inexplicably released as a single regardless. To answer your second question, yes this was composed by a man of the cloth, hence why he's referred to as a father on the cover.
This was the first hit single that Split Enz achieved here in Australia back in the day, granted it would be a far cry of what they would achieve throughout the 80's, however a strong Countdown performance was able to ensure its success even with the high amounts of pub rock from Aussies and kiwis that were making it big back in the day in our music scene.
These guys didn't have a lot of success with their singles in Australia, this was mainly due to how huge their albums were and that album artists generally didn't spawn a lot of hits here in Australia with rare exceptions such as Abba and Sherbet. They did have success during the second half of the 70's given how they had the second biggest hit of the decade with "Mull of Kintyre" from two years later.
#83 for 1975
17 weeks
Skyhooks were on a roll as they released the advanced single to their third album, a song that acknowledges that they needed to up their production if they wanted to remain relevant now that they've become one of the biggest names in Australian music. Although it wasn't as successful as their earlier hits, this was a huge hit regardless and reassured the band that they had a loyal fanbase.
This was one of two hits that Raydio were able to achieve in Australia, the other being "You can't change that" from the following year which seems to explain the popularity of their front man Ray Parker Jr throughout the following decade. Here he tells the story of Jack and Jill in a modern setting which tugged at the heartstrings of audiences thus enabling it to be a huge worldwide success.
#92 for 1978
JPY was on a roll when he released the lead single to his third album Green, although he seems to have given up on his criticisms of the music industry as this is a much more straightforward track about how he wants to be with the person he's singing this to. It did hamper his success somewhat going forward, however he continued to find success throughout the rest of the decade.
#89 for 1977
Well, this is just depressing, not the song itself as it remains a disco classic to this day but rather that it was the only hit that both bands involved had here in Australia. There was little chance this was going to fail as it's a celebration of disco right when the genre seemed to be at the peak of its popularity, although it's likely due to this oversaturation that the disco backlash took place in America.
#93 for 1979
This was a song that Shaun Cassidy released exclusively in Australia, likely because he felt he could get away with covering Ruby and the Romantics given that they never had any success here in Australia. In America, the second single he had was his Billboard chart topper "Da doo ron ron," proving how he was able to score success throughout his career.
#90 for 1977
I guess this guy having two Billboard chart toppers this year makes sense given how much of his back catalogue was finding success through covers around this time, this was the bigger of the two hits here in Australia proving that older crooners were among the more popular artists from around this time.
#85 for 1975
Well at least David Bowie was able to have some success in Australia during the second half of the decade, although you'd think a man who's such a force of creativity in the music scene would've thrived during the Countdown era. Indeed, the last time he troubled the charts here was with "Sorrow" back in 1974, and yet he was able to score a string of hits throughout the rest of the world with his work.
#93 for 1978
Norman Gunston was an Australian character who originate from Aunty Jack, the Australian 70's equivalent of Mrs. browns boys which was widely successful during its two-season run from 1972-1973. Once the show ended, the actor playing him released a comedy album which contained this skit about the popularity of Abba that became a hit for him, it wasn't even his last single as he did the same thing for Kiss in 1980.
#92 for 1976
This was another big hit from Mark Holden that he achieved during his time in the spotlight, he was essentially Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett if they had an Australian accent, and he had no shame of the music he made for his audience.
#93 for 1976
This was the backing band for Gary Glitter, a man who has gone down in infamy for his disgusting habits that I won't be sharing on this site. He at least had a talented band to back him up during his heyday, and it appears the public agreed as they gave them a hit without their troubled front man once his popularity began to die down this year.
#86 for 1975
This was one of only three hits that Dolly Parton had in Australia, although she did appear on Countdown back in the day so it's not like we weren't aware of her country classics here. This was her big breakthrough in her native America which is perhaps why she was able to find success with this ballad here, her other two hits came when she began her acting career and with her BFF Kenny Rogers.
#94 for 1978
Well, here we are with the one and only hit that Barry Manilow managed to score with a song he wrote, at least it's his signature tune as this lounge track has managed to endure over the years thanks to its inherent camp value. This was also one of many songs to make it big over the years to be dedicated to Rio, Copacabana being a district in the capital city of Brazil.
#95 for 1978
This was the final hit that Sherbet was able to score during their time together, I guess their overexposure had finally caught up with them much like Abba and Bay city rollers around this time. Unlike Abba and much like Bay city rollers, they would never recover after this, although lead singer Daryl Braithwaite would which makes him in the middle of those two bands.
#96 for 1978
This was the first hit that Ol'55 had in Australia, a throwback band to the 50's who scored massive success with decade with songs meant to remind people of the "swell" days of that decade. It appears there were plenty of people from the 70's who were indeed longing for simpler times in music as there were a ton of other bands and artists who also scored success with this formula back in the day.
#94 for 1976
Judy Collins had previously scored a massive hit here in Australia with a showtunes rendition of "Amazing grace" four years prior, so it isn't too far out of the realms of plausibility that she would score a minor hit this year with her rendition of this showtunes classic even amongst all of the other entries on this list.
#87 for 1975
16 weeks
For eight years, this was the final hit that the Brothers Gibb had in most parts of the world, it's a pity because it remains a disco classic to this day thanks to the frenetic energy of the track as well as the Bee Gees themselves. They would eventually return with "You win again" in 1987, and indeed they would score another comeback ten years after that when their album Still waters became a surprise success.
#94 for 1979
This was one of three hits that Daryl Braithwaite managed to score on his own this decade, this should give you an idea as to how inescapable this man was between his solo efforts and his time as the front man of Sherbet.
#91 for 1977
This was the first duet from Grease to be played in the film, although technically it's more of an ensemble piece as both characters recall how they came across each other over the summer which would set up the basis for their relationship throughout the rest of the film. It's one of the less conventional songs to become a hit over the years, but it's catchy and well performed.
#97 for 1978
While their popularity wasn't as inescapable as it was earlier in the decade, Abba was still able to find success with their singles here in Australia as the decade was coming to an end, proving that their dip in popularity was more due to overexposure rather than the quality dropping. This was the second single from their album Voulez vous which allowed it to be a modest improvement commercially over their previous album.
#95 for 1979
Well, here we are with the second hit that Leif Garrett achieved from his debut album in Australia, this time it's a cover of the doo wop singer Dion's big hit of the same name which became as such fifteen years prior for the American singer. These covers would lead to him finally releasing an original track of his from earlier on the list which also helped him find an audience in his native America.
#98 for 1978
This was the lead single to David Soul's second album, an album that wouldn't see much success despite it spawning two of his biggest hits worldwide likely due to those songs failing to become as such in his native America. Yeah, it turns out he's a one hit wonder with his first entry on this list on the Billboard charts, proving how much more popular he was internationally back in the day.
#92 for 1977
I guess this was meant to be confirmation that "If you leave me now" wasn't a fluke from Chicago and that this was the direction that the band was heading in moving into the 80's, it was a decent success here in Australia as it only barely failed to appear on one of my lists due to high Christmas sales that pushed it aside from many of the other entries on this list.
This was originally a song from Neil Diamond that appeared on his (then) most recent album Comes a time, however he appeared to have donated it to his (then) girlfriend Nicolette Larson who scored a moderate hit here in Australia with her version thanks to it serving as the lead single to her debut album which was a massive hit down under.
#96 for 1979
For my American readers, this was the big hit that Wings had this year in lieu of their earlier entry not being released as a single over there, this is more in line with their usual material as opposed to "Mull of Kintyre" being a song showcasing how proud Paul McCartney was of his Scottish heritage.
#99 for 1978
This is the final new entry on this list as everything released from here on out was pulled from shelves for whatever reason, it's the second single from Amii Stewart which is a cover of the Doors classic making this the most successful rendition of that song here in Australia. Even so, I get the feeling that we Aussies were a bit iffy with hearing a disco cover of a psychedelic track by the end of the decade.
This was the last solo hit that Neil Diamond had in Australia, although he continued to find massive success with his albums and even scored a hit with a duet with Barbra Streisand later in the decade. I guess Countdown prevented him from scoring any more hits here but allowed his popularity to flourish with his albums.
#43 for 1974
#88 for 1975
15 weeks
There seemed to be no signs of these guys slowing down when they released this ballad which almost became yet another chart topper for them in Australia, indeed they were riding high off the success of their international popularity which makes the failure of their next album all the more upsetting (or hilarious depending on your point of view.)
#93 for 1977
Well, it seemed inevitable that these guys would make a Christmas jam right at the height of their popularity, as such we have this festive track that became a hit during the Christmas season of 1976 and even early into the following year for them.
Abba's popularity might not have been at its peak anymore; however, they were still able to find success with a throwaway single such as this track which served to tie fans over from their self-titled album to Voulez vous. It remains one of their more popular tracks due to the theme of the lyrics, although it wasn't among their bigger hits likely due to it not being part of an album at the time.
#100 for 1978
There were no signs of Abba slowing down when they released the third single from Arrival, in fact this wound up being their biggest hit in the UK likely due to this being a breakup song which was in sharp contrast with the bright and upbeat pseudo disco tracks they had put out throughout their career. Indeed, this song was a bit ahead of its time when it came to the band singing about their messy breakups.
#95 for 1977
If you're unfamiliar with who Telly Savalas was, he was a crooner and part time actor who scored a massive hit in the UK with this spoken word track that also managed to become a moderate success here in Australia for him. This feels like it came from over a decade prior, meaning that this would've been an excellent year for pre-Beatles music here in Australia were it not for Countdown's presence.
#89 for 1975
14 weeks
This was the final hit that the Bay city rollers were able to score in Australia, I guess all good things must come to an end which is what happened to these guys when this only barely became a success for them.
#96 for 1977
13 weeks
We have another appearance from the Bay city rollers on this list, I've run out of things to say about them without coming off as mean so I'll leave my commentary at that.
#96 for 1976
